This invention relates to ultraviolet curable coating compositions and to a method for preparing and curing same. More particularly, this invention relates to a method for obtaining low gloss films by the ultraviolet radiation curing process.
Clear or pigmented coating compositions having low gloss are desirable in many applications, particularly in the furniture finishing industry. Most often low gloss has been achieved by the incorporation of compounds such as calcium stearate, zinc stearate, aluminum rosinate and the various aluminum esters, as well as the various talcs, clays, and the like, into ultraviolet curing systems.
These materials, however, are of only limited usefulness in ultraviolet curing applications, due to the blocking effect which they exhibit on ultraviolet rays. Thus, when standard ultraviolet curable coatings are compounded with these materials, cure properties are reduced and cure times extended. In fact, in some cases the resulting coatings -- regardless of the ultraviolet exposure times -- simply will not cure to a satisfactory degree.
It is an object of this invention to prepare ultraviolet coatings which may be cured to a low gloss by the use of ultraviolet light. It is another object of this invention to prepare low gloss ultraviolet curable compositions which exhibit cure rates equivalent to those of standard high gloss ultraviolet curable coatings.
These and other objectives are obtained by preparing the compositions of the instant invention.